Meaning & use
rich sounding words
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Meanings
phraseplural
Words that sound impressive, elegant, or full of meaning, often because they are long, rare, or poetic.
Grammar: Used as a plural noun phrase; the singular would be 'a rich-sounding word'.
Patterns
- use rich sounding words
- a list of rich sounding words
- rich sounding words like …
Her essay is full of rich sounding words, but the ideas are simple.
If you want a formal tone, choose rich sounding words instead of everyday ones.
Poets often pick rich sounding words such as 'glimmer' or 'solitude'.
phraseplural
Words that have a pleasing, full, or resonant sound when spoken.
Grammar: Refers to the sound quality itself, not the meaning; often used when discussing poetry or speech.
Patterns
- sound rich when spoken
- rich sounding vowels
Italian is famous for its rich sounding words and open vowels.
The actor's deep voice made even plain lines sound like rich sounding words.
Common combinations
- a rich sounding voice
- He read the poem in a rich sounding voice that filled the room.
- rich sounding language
- The novel's rich sounding language slows the reader down in a good way.
- use rich sounding words
- Try to use rich sounding words when you write a wedding speech.
- full of rich sounding words
- The advertisement was full of rich sounding words like 'artisanal' and 'bespoke'.
Synonyms and how they differ
- flowery language
- Suggests words that are too decorative or showy, often with a critical tone, while 'rich sounding words' can be neutral or positive.
- elevated diction
- A more formal, technical term used in writing studies for deliberately grand word choices.
- sonorous words
- Focuses on a deep, resonant sound rather than on richness of meaning or style.
Opposites
Commonly confused: rich sounding words or rich-sounding?
rich sounding words vs rich-sounding
As a hyphenated adjective it describes one word or voice, e.g. 'a rich-sounding name'; the unhyphenated phrase is a plural noun phrase.
Practice
Which sentence uses the phrase most naturally?
Choose one answer.
The phrase describes impressive or beautiful word choices, so it fits a poet choosing words like 'amber'. Option 0 is odd because a mechanic explaining an engine would normally use plain technical terms, and options 2 and 3 treat the phrase as a countable thing or a food, which is ungrammatical.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “rich sounding words”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.